Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

We’ve all seen the trailer: Tom Cruise hanging off the side of an Airbus as it takes off and flies away. Going in to seeing “Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation”, I thought that was going to be the big spectacle of the movie- something that everything had led up to, and that the trailer had already spoiled. Fortunately, that shot happened within 10 minutes- and even after seeing it on my computer screen, it still floored me. Now in his 50’s, Cruise still finds ways to prove he has no equal in the action film world.

This might be the best installment in the franchise since the original two decades ago. Director and scriptwriter Christopher McQuarrie gives the audience not only a tight script, but also some amazing sets that made for some of the best action scenes this year. Ranging from the aforementioned joyride on the plane to a tense battle on the catwalks of a Viennese opera house (during a production, no less), to an incredible car chase through the streets of Casablanca, the film hardly leaves you time to breath before the blood begins pumping again.

This time around, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is on the trail of the Syndicate, an organization of rogue secret agents long thought dead whose mission is to topple the governments and economic systems of the world (admittedly, there isn’t much motive given for these pursuits- most likely money.) Simultaneously, the IMF, his agency, is dissolved back in Washington due to its habit of taking unnecessary gambles and getting results purely out of luck. Alec Baldwin plays Alan Hunley, head of the CIA, who is pulling the strings on getting rid of the agency.

As Hunt travels around the globe to find clues about the mysterious organization and its leader, Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), he meets up with Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), a British double agent who is already working on the case. He also employs the help of William Brandt and Benji, played by Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg (a great source of physical comedy, by the way). Also thrown into the mix is Luther Strickell, played by series veteran Ving Rhames.

The movie is probably the most fun there is to be had in a theater this summer. It hits harder than any of the recent Marvel Universe movies, with action scenes that are actually novel and continue the story line. It also has more one liners and visual laughs than any of the comedies released in the last few months. If there’s one thing Tom Cruise knows, at least, it’s how to entertain an audience. The plot, while nothing extremely new, is fast and never gets dull. And, while it’s an odd thing to say about a movie, there isn’t too much time wasted explaining character’s backgrounds or trying to spell out their story. Hunt’s insatiable desire to topple the Syndicate is noted on, but never explained. Yet, because Cruise plays the character so sincerely, you never stop to think that he doesn’t have a good reason. Trust me, even casual action fans, or even those who never saw the other films will enjoy this thoroughly.